The Belfast murals – a photo walk through recent history

Cat, my 10-year-old, has been completely enamoured with everything Titanic the past few months, so I’ve promised her a visit to the Titanic Belfast Experience this summer. We’ll have a closer look at the rest of Belfast as well, of course. However, I’m undecided as to whether she’s old enough for a walk through the city’s violent history, the Troubles.

Belfast’s political murals are disturbing. Walking along Shankill Road eleven years ago, just a few days before the now infamous 9/11, these images left me feeling edgy, gun-shy, paranoid even. But at the same time, I was weirdly drawn in. I had to forcefully withdraw my eyes.

The Unionist – “Protestant” – murals are mainly along Shankill Road, while the Republican – “Catholic” – ones can be found in the Falls Road area. I write Protestant and Catholic in quotes. The Troubles have often been defined as a religious fight, at least from the outside. But this is very much a political struggle, and one still not resolved.

The Belfast murals are often found on the gable walls of houses and clearly show feelings still run deep in Northern Ireland. This is an especially famous one, painted so the UFF man is aiming the gun at you no matter from which direction you look at it. A clear message to intruders.

This one is in memory of the Battle of the Boyne on 12 July 1690, where King William of Orange (Protestant) defeated James II (Catholic). It’s still celebrated every year.

Both sides remember their martyrs.

There has been talk of replacing the political Belfast murals with more peaceful, pleasant images. While there’s no doubt these pictures challenge the viewer, they’re also a very visual history book. They bring in tourist Euros … they continue to feed hostility. Lest we forget… they incite the younger generation. Both sides have compelling arguments. Tough call…

Have you seen the Belfast murals? What are your thoughts on removing them?

Head over to Budget Travelers Sandbox for this week’s edition of Travel Photo Thursday.

Sophie’s World will return to Belfast this year, in search of other curious and quirky (and more child-friendly) aspects of the Titanic city. To get updates, go to our Facebook page.

They are definitely disturbing images yet painting over history perhaps isn’t the right solution – very difficult to know really what the right thing is to do with murals such as these.

My almost 9 year old has also become fascinated with the Titanic in the last few months. We are going to be on the east coast of Canada this summer and have promised her a visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax which has a Titanic exhibit and to The Rooms in St. John’s, Newfoundland which has a temporary Titanic exhibit this summer. She has already decided that she wants to do her school speech next year on the Titanic.

I saw a TV news special on these murals awhile back and found them fascinating. I would love to see them someday. They shouldn’t be replaced since they’re such poignant reminders of this country’s history. I’m sure they can find other areas to paint peaceful and pleasant murals. I guess Titanic is in for the tweens. My almost 10 year old has shown interest in seeing the Titanic exhibits too.

I’ve seen the murals and yes they are very chilling but done by very talented people. I don’t think there’s any way they will be painted over toi much blood has been spilled and I think the murals would be a sensitive subject.

Wow, I couldn’t stop looking either and am surprised to see these in Belfast. I can see that they do provide a history, but I think the hostility that they breed would not be enough to counter any of the advantages to having these.

Wow….that is a tough call because I can appreciate the beauty of the artwork. However, it does reflect a part of history and if it proves to incite others to do something criminal, I say jail them but leave the art as is.

I had no idea these murals existed. They ever powerful and shouldn’t be removed! History doesn’t need to be whitewashed.
I’d also be reluctant to take my daughter at 10 to see them – but then again I’m assuming the Irish kids walk by them all the time. Wonder what they think about them. That would be an enlightening conversation.

I hope they don’t replace them. What a loss of historic art that would be. And I can appreciate you being reluctant to expose your daughter to such a violent history, but I think it’s a great learning opportunity. I remember being around 10 and learning of the United States Civil War and slavery and then later in the year learning about WWII. Most of it was presented to me through a child’s eyes (like in literature and such). Maybe if you found a movie addressing it from that perspective and watching it together you two could have an open dialogue about it?

These murals are amazing. I have been to Ireland, not Belfast, though I was unaware of these nonetheless. I would love to see it for myself while also surveying the surrounding areas. Is Belfast deemed as a bad area and if so, are these murals placed in symbolic areas or are they just everywhere? I am a history Minor and this art you would not be able to see in a museum.

Wow- these are incredible. We have a few areas near LA that several of the buildings have murals that tell a long story. I love those. Especially when I’m visiting from out of town. Like a history lessons while driving around!

There are so many political murals in Belfast, and I didn’t see them all, but of those I saw, the ones in Shankill seemed more threatening. There are murals in other towns as well, especially in Derry. It might be a different story there.

I can only imagine what it would have been like to live in Ireland during the “Troubles” — and as you said, those political issues aren’t completely resolved. I think the murals should stay because they do tell such an important, albeit disturbing, history. I would like to visit Belfast sometime and see them.

Do you go on an organized tour to see them, or did you happen upon them? They are fascinating – as an outsider, I would say to keep them, as they are a powerful remembrance of history, but if I lived there, I may feel differently.

I knew about them and had a Black Cab take me about. Back then, it wasn’t safe to walk around on one’s own in these districts (or so I was told). Recommended! Lots of local, quirky information provided and interesting conversation – just me and the driver/guide. Wish I had taken notes…

I’ve been wondering about that, too. If I lived there, would I like to have those murals in my neighbourhood to see (and for my kids to see) every day? Ultimately, I suppose the people of Belfast are the ones who should decide the fate of the murals.

I can understand people who live there wanting them to be removed, but it would be a shame to loose such a part of history. But like some of the other commentators have said, it should be up to the locals!

Great photos. I would hope the residents would want to tear them all down.

I remember a quote from the playwright Brendan Behan – “Mother Ireland – get off my back.”

I don’t know what to think. I believe in self-determination for a country and equally, I believe in the fair treatment of minorities. So there was an argument both ways in the Troubles.

I also believe that sometimes the ‘idea’ is just a convenient peg on which to hang a desire to be violent and that some ‘freedom-fighters’ or ‘terrorists’ were probably horrible little kids in the playground at school and grew up to be horrible adults.

This is a very interesting and thought-provoking article. On the one hand, I think it’s important to preserve even the darker sides of history, on the other hand, I wouldn’t want to see this every day if I lived there. Some of them look very threatening.

I posted a similar article on my own blog a few weeks back and posed the same question about removing them.
I really believe the murals should stay. I agree that they probably do incite the youth on both sides but believe that the solution to Northern Irelands troubles wont be found by removing them. On the other hand if removing them proved to help save just 1 life Id volunteer to help paint over them.
Thankfully we have seen great progress in recent years in attaining peace and hopefully that trend can continue.
If interested you can see my post here http://gotireland.com/2012/05/17/you-are-now-entering-free-derry-northern-irelands-wall-murals/

Fascinating as well as unnerving images. I hope the locals find a way to preserve some of their history, but I can understand not wanting to look at them everyday. I wonder if a large photography exhibit could retain the power of the images & bring in Euros while allowing the locals to move on.

Great article Sophie. I grew up in Belfast and left when I was eighteen. For the following twenty years I had nightmares about being stopped at gunpoint by a man wearing a balaclava, demanding to know whether I was Protestant or Catholic, and never knowing which to reply. The old joke in Belfast was, of course, to say that you were Jewish. But this was no joke. This was a silent fear for many growing up there during the Troubles, and the reason why many of us left. When I return home to Belfast, now as a tourist, with tourist ‘dollars’ as one of your contributors put it, I shudder each time I see these murals as they whisk me back to those times of extreme segregation and silent fear. Sadly, I feel these times are not totally behind us, and I think it would be a healing step to remove these violent images – on both sides of course. Let the nightmares be put to rest once and for all. With handshakes, diplomacy and oratory we have moved on, thank God. These images, and the voyeuristic tourism associated with them, are only holding us back, I feel.

Catherine: Thank you so much for your thought-provoking and interesting comment.

When I was growing up, the name Belfast was synonymous with everything scary – and I lived in Norway. Can’t imagine how it must have been, growing up in the middle of it. And although things have moved on, when I’ve been in Ireland lately (even in the republic), I do get the impression people feel the Troubles aren’t over. From my outsider eyes, though, your country is first and foremost fascinating and beautiful.

I can see why these images disturb yet fascinate you. Me too! While I agree they should be protected in someway, I also think that time marches on and should be covered up in due time. Perhaps someone will preserve them for future generations lest we never forget those challenging times.

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